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The jump in euro-zone negotiated wage growth in Q3, to a record high of 5.4%, was mostly due to one-off payments in Germany. Wage growth elsewhere was little changed. With headline inflation around 2% and the labour market loosening, wage growth is very …
20th November 2024
Join our senior economists for this dive into the final Fed, ECB and Bank of England decisions of 2024, and a look-ahead to see how these banks will calibrate monetary policy in the coming year. During this 20-minute session, the team will be taking your …
19th November 2024
Services inflation in the euro-zone has been stuck around 4% for the past 12 months, but there are good reasons to expect it to decline significantly next year. We think that core inflation will continue to edge down in 2025 and the headline rate will …
We think that the euro will fall to parity against the US dollar next year but will strengthen against some other currencies, such as the renminbi, and on a trade-weighted basis we forecast it to be little changed. So the effect of FX moves on growth and …
18th November 2024
The focus this week has continued to be on the consequences of the US election results for Europe. So while a lot remains unclear at this stage, it is worth reiterating what we think are the main implications. First, it seems likely that the US will …
15th November 2024
We think that the impact of Trump’s proposed 10% universal tariff on euro-zone GDP would be very small, in part because we expect the effect to be offset by a weaker euro. So we aren’t pushing down our already below-consensus GDP growth forecasts any …
Swiss economy slows sharply, but will pick up in the coming quarters Economic growth was surprisingly slow in the third quarter as sporting event-adjusted GDP increased by just 0.2% q/q, a sharp slowdown from the 0.5% recorded in Q2. This will further …
We wouldn’t read much into the recent contraction in swap spreads in Germany. Despite turning negative, the 10-year euro-zone OIS/Bund spread is not far below its level before the pandemic. And it remains well above 10-year US OIS/Treasury and 10-year …
14th November 2024
Donald Trump’s re-election has changed perceptions of how the war in Ukraine will develop, with many hoping for a quicker end to the conflict. This Update looks at how the war might evolve and the economic implications for Russia and Ukraine, for Europe …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Faster GDP growth looks temporary The pick-up in euro-zone GDP growth to 0.4% q/q in Q3 is unlikely to be sustained. Timelier business and consumer surveys suggest that growth …
If Donald Trump follows through on his threat to impose a high sector-specific tariff on European cars, German firms could suffer a big reduction in exports, deepening the crisis in the sector and adding another headwind to economic growth. That would be …
13th November 2024
The recent floods in Spain have inflicted huge personal and financial costs. But in terms of GDP, the effect is likely to be quite small as the temporary loss in activity will probably be offset by increased government expenditure. Similarly, while the …
12th November 2024
Could the collapse of Germany’s ruling ‘traffic light’ coalition open the way to more effective governance for Europe’s largest economy? What bearing will political uncertainty have on its financial markets? How will Donald Trump’s pending return …
11th November 2024
GDP growth picked up in Q3 but timelier data suggest that the economy is poised for a weak Q4. We expect growth to remain slow next year regardless of whether President Trump raises tariffs on imports from Europe. We also think that inflation will be well …
8th November 2024
Winston Churchill is supposed to have said that “jaw-jaw” is better than “war-war” and we think European politicians will take the same view when faced with the threat of a trade conflict next year. We set out our working assumption about how a US …
The collapse of its coalition government, triggered by disagreement over fiscal policy, means Germany will probably have a CDU-led government by mid-2025. This may be more stable and functional than the outgoing coalition, but would face the same …
7th November 2024
Today’s 50bp cut is likely to be the only one in the cycle for the Riksbank, and we expect it to cut by just 25bp at its next two meetings to take the policy rate to its “terminal” level of 2.25% in January. This is less than the four cuts that market …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Retail sales strong in September but unlikely to keep rising rapidly Euro-zone retail sales rose in September rounding off a good quarter for retailers. We suspect that sales …
Alongside its decision to leave interest rates unchanged today, Norges Bank reiterated that it expects to remain on hold in December too. It is likely to start cutting in Q1 next year and we suspect that it will then loosen policy a little more quickly …
Riksbank increases pace of cuts, but doesn’t change its terminal rate forecast The Riksbank cut its policy rate by 50bp today to 2.75%, but the accompanying policy statement suggested that it plans only two more 25bps rate cuts to take it to a …
German industry continues to struggle The German industrial production release will be overshadowed by the break-up of Germany’s ruling coalition, which we will comment on later this morning. But the further fall in industrial output in September …
Data released last week showed that the euro-zone’s unemployment rate was unchanged at a record low in September. But a broader assessment of the labour market suggests that it is cooling, and the latest surveys suggest that it will continue to do so. …
5th November 2024
The main economic news in the euro-zone this week were the stronger-than-expected GDP figures for Q3 and inflation figures for October, as well as a concerted effort by ECB policymakers to play down the need to accelerate the pace of rate cuts. So it is …
1st November 2024
Euro-zone investment has been weak since the pandemic. And despite the recent downward revision to our ECB interest rate forecasts, we don’t think it will pick up substantially, given the sluggish outlook for both economic growth and the competitiveness …
Inflation to drop sharply next year Another larger-than-expected fall in both headline and core inflation in Switzerland will increase concerns that the country could temporarily enter deflation next year. This will pile on pressure on the SNB to act …
Despite the Riksbank reopening the door to a 50bp cut at its last meeting, we think it will proceed gradually and cut by 25bps next week to 3.0%. This is because the policy rate is approaching the neutral rate and the risks of over loosening are …
31st October 2024
Norway’s economy is struggling and inflation keeps falling faster than Norges Bank expects, yet the Bank has not started loosening policy. Next week we think it will open the door to a December rate cut. At its last meeting in September, Norges Bank said …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Inflation rises but is still below ECB forecasts Euro-zone inflation came in a touch higher than expected in October but was still below the ECB’s projections for Q4. While …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. GDP growth holds up in Q3, but outlook poor Euro-zone GDP growth came in stronger than expected in Q3 and the early indications are the inflation will be a little higher than …
30th October 2024
Third quarter GDP data reported so far suggest that the aggregate euro-zone growth rate will be a little higher than we had forecast in Q3, but the big picture is that, the Olympics and Spain aside, growth in the euro-zone is weak and probably slowing. …
Softer rental prospects, less scope for yields to fall and lower income returns look set to weigh on French residential property returns compared to Germany, the UK and the US in the coming years. This Update uses a similar methodology to our recent Focus …
29th October 2024
Economy contracts, but outlook is strong Preliminary data show that Sweden’s economy contracted by 0.1% q/q in the third quarter, far below the consensus expectation and the Riksbank’s forecasts (0.5% and 0.2% respectively). At face value this may suggest …
In light of the worsening outlook for economic growth and inflation in the euro-zone, we are making major downward revisions to our ECB interest rate forecast. We now think the Bank will implement back-to-back 50bp rate cuts in December and January, and …
28th October 2024
This week’s news has persuaded us that the ECB is likely to cut interest rates further and faster than we previously thought. We now see a greater-than-even chance of a 50bp rate cut in December, and think the “terminal” rate in this cycle will be below …
25th October 2024
New bank lending has risen recently as the interest rates on loans have begun to edge down, but it is still weak. While it will probably continue to increase gradually in the coming months, the ECB might need to cut its policy rates substantially to give …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Germany stuck in recession The rise in the Ifo Business Climate Index in October still left it deep in recessionary territory. With growth in the rest of the euro-zone also weak, …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Flash PMIs support case for 50bp rate cut The low activity and price components of the flash PMIs for the euro-zone in October will strengthen the conviction of policymakers who …
24th October 2024
We expect Spain’s public debt ratio to continue falling for the next three or four years, helping to support demand for Spanish government bonds. However, further ahead its debt-to-GDP ratio is likely to rise again as population ageing and a lack of …
23rd October 2024
Poor economic growth and vulnerability to structural change in the office and retail sector are set to weigh on German property returns in the coming years. But solid rental prospects in the residential sector mean it remains a compelling candidate for …
A Trump victory in the US election would accelerate the structural shifts that are a major challenge for Europe including rising protectionism, reduced export opportunities to China and the US, and the need to spend more on defence at a time when fiscal …
22nd October 2024
We expect Swiss inflation to average less than 0.5% next year and there are several key downside risks that could push inflation over the edge, namely lower oil prices than we expect, a stronger franc and lower housing rent. These risks will encourage the …
The euro-zone construction output data for August, released earlier today, were the final activity data to be published ahead of the preliminary euro-zone Q3 GDP data release in two weeks’ time. While activity data for the third quarter have been a mixed …
18th October 2024
Before the global financial crisis, 50bp interest rate cuts by the ECB were more common than 25bp reductions. Circumstances today are different, but if ECB policymakers are convinced that they need to keep cutting, we think they would not shy away from a …
17th October 2024
Christine Lagarde’s message in today’s ECB press conference was distinctly dovish and supports our view that the ECB will cut interest rates by 25bp at each of the next few meetings, at the very least. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Bank opted for a …
25bp rate cuts likely to keep coming Alongside its decision to cut interest rates by 25bp, the ECB stuck to its guidance about data dependence and making decisions on a meeting-by-meeting basis. But the press release also acknowledged the recent weakness …
The detailed breakdown of September’s inflation data, published this morning, showed that underlying price pressures softened slightly. We think that core inflation – and services inflation in particular – will keep falling over the rest of this year and …
We are nudging down our forecast for economic growth in France next year from 1.0% to 0.7% because of the government’s plan to tighten fiscal policy. That said, we think the deficit will come down much less than the government plans, from 6.1% of GDP this …
16th October 2024
Italy’s 2025 budget, set to be approved by cabinet today, suggests Italy will bring its deficit below the 3% of GDP limit imposed by EU fiscal rules much sooner than France. But Italy’s debt-to-GDP ratio is higher and still likely to edge up over the …
15th October 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Rise in industrial production not the start of a recovery While the 1.8% m/m rise in industrial production in August was the strongest monthly rise in over a year, it is probably …
The ECB’s latest Bank Lending Survey suggests that demand for credit is recovering, but the rebound in housing loans is much stronger than in consumer or enterprise loans. The Bank Lending Survey for Q3 provides grounds for optimism that the housing …
